Half to a



(No Model.) J. KEARNEY. LOW STOUK ALARM FOR UARDING ENGINE PBEDERS.

No. 506,046! Patented 0012;. 3, 1.893.

WITHEEEQE.

UNITED TATES PATENT EFICE.

.JAMES KEARNEY, or PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOA. A. MILNES, OF sAME PLACE.

LOW-STOCK ALARM FOR CARDlNG-ENGINE FEEDERS.

SPECIFICATION forming 'part of Letters Patent No. 506,046, dated October3, 1893.

Application filed January 14, 1893. Serial No- 458,326. (No model.) i

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES KEARNEY, of Plttsfield, in the county ofBerkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Low-Stock Alarms for Oarding-Engine Feeders, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a low-stock alarm for carding engine feeders,and is specially designed for application to the well-known Bramwellfeeder. It is essential to the production of a uniform sliver, that thescale of the feeder receive its full complement of stock so that thedelivery will be regular and will accord with the action of thepush-board, and to lnsure this, the stock in the box or hopper mustalways approximate a certain height.

The object of my invention, therefore, is to provide an alarm-device,readily attachable to any feeder of the Bramwell type, without alteraton in the machine, which alarm-device will be set in operation upon thestock in the hopper becoming low, 'i. 6., below the height necessary toa full feed to the scale, thus warning the attendant of the fact andenabling him always to maintain the proper amount of stock in thehopper.

Reference is to be had to the annexed draw ngs and to the letters markedthereon, forming a part of this specification, the same lettersdesignating the same parts or features, as the case may be, whereverthey occur.

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the lower portion of a Bramwellfeeder having my alarm attachment. Fig. 2 shows a top View the alarmdevice detached and illustrated on an enlarged scale. Figs. 3, 4, and 5show diagrammatical Views which illustrate the relatlve posltions of thecrank-pin of the pushboard gear and the alarm device during theoperation of the feeder.

The Bramwell type of feeder is so well known as not to require adetailed descrip- 5 tion here.

It will be sufficient for an understanding of my invention to designatea few parts of the machine appearing in the accompanying drawings.

The letter A designates the stock receptacle or hopper of the feeder; a,the shaft of the lower spike-apron roller; 19 levers which actuate thepush-board; c, a gear-wheel having a wrist-pin d; e, an adjustable rodconnecting said wrist-pin and the near push-lever b; and f, designatesthe change-gear meshing with the gear-wheel, c, and regulating thedischarge of the scale.

My alarm attachment is to co-act with the parts above enumerated, and infurtherance of this design a gear-wheel B, is mounted on the shaft, a,of the lower spike-apron roller.

The alarm attachment comprises the following parts: A standard, 0, isfastened to the bed of the machine and hasa vertical adjustment-slot, g.An arm, D, is pivoted at one end on a bolt, h, adjustably fastened inthe slot g, and this arm extends beneath the gear-wheel, B, and has abearing 11, at the outer end; this hearing receives a stud, j, whichcarries a gear-wheel B. On the inner side of the pivoted arm and adaptedto mesh with the gear-wheel B, on the shaft of the lower spike-apronroller, and on the outer side of the arm said stud carries a wheel E,having a number of equidistant radiating arms is, all of the samelength. The pivoted arm D, also carries a bell F, and a lever G, pivotedat an intermediate point Z, and having a hammer, m, at one end in aposition to strike the bell upon vibration of the lever. The oppositeend, n, of the lever projects in the path of the radial arms is, of thewheel E, whereby upon rotation of said wheel the radial armssuccessively trip said lever-end 'n, and thereby move the hammer at theopposite end of the lever away from the bell, said hammer being returnedeach time against the hell by 4 a spring, 0, connecting the lever with arigid stud, p, on the pivoted arm. The pivoted arm D, is connected withthe wrist'pin, cl, by a strap q, pivoted on said wrist-pin and a springr, joining said strap and the pivotedarm, the said spring beingadjustably attached to the strap, g, by means of a hook 1', whichengages one of a series of holes, W, in the strap.

The operation is as follows:When the wrist-pin d is in theposition-shown in Fig. 3,

the push-board is drawn back to the fullest IOO extent, and the scale isdischarging. As the wrist-pin advances, the scale closes, and while saidwrist-pin is moving to the opposite limit of its stroke,t'. e., to theposition shown in g. 4,-the push-board is removing the stock dischargedfrom the scale. At the same time the spike-apron is in operationrecharging the scale, and if the hopper is adequately supplied withstock, the scale will be recharged while the wrist-pin is moving to theposition shown in Fig. 4., so that when it arrives at this point thespike-apron will cease moving. During this travel of the wrist-pin thearm D, moves freely on its pivot h, and as the wrist-pin travels on tothe position shown in Fig. 5, the said arm will be elevated to aposition where the gear-wheel B, is brought into mesh withthe gear-wheelB, on the shaft of the lower spike-apron roller. But this gear-wheel B,is motionless, the spike-apron having stopped upon the scale havingreceived its full complement of stock and hence the alarm is not soundedas long as the machine is feeding properly. However, should the stock inthe hopper become so low as not to properly supply the spike-apron, thescale will not be fully charged while the wrist-pin travels from theposition shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4, and hence thespikeapron will not be stopped upon the arrival of the wrist-pin at thelatter position, and when the wrist-pin travels to the position shown inFig. 5, and brings the gear-wheels B and B into mesh, the now-movinggearwheel B, transmits motion to the gear B, and thereby themultiple-armed wheel E is actuated, and the gong struck. This notifiesthe attendant that the stock is low in the hopper, whereupon he willreplenish the same. Thus an attendant is enabled to keep the feederproperly supplied, which will result in greater regularity in thesliver. The spring T, which is interposed between the wrist-pin of thepush-board gear and the pivoted arm D, will be adjusted so that theabove result will be insured, and the yielding nature of the spring willprevent breakage of the teeth of the gears B, B, when they are broughttogether.

It is evident my invention may be embodied in dilferent forms from whatis here shown. Having thus explained the nature of the nvention anddescribed a way of constructmg and using the same, though withoutattempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or allof the modes of its use, it is declared that what is claimed is 1. In afeeder for carding engines, the combination of a spike-apron; push boardoperatlng mechanism; and an alarm connected with said mechanism, andarranged to receive motion from the spike-apron, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a feeder for carding engines, the combination of a'spike-apron;push-board operating gear having a wrist-pin; and a pivoted armconnected with said wrist-pin and carrying an alarm device arranged toreceive motion from the spike-apron.

3. In a feeder for carding engines, the combination of a spike-apron; agear-wheel fast with one of the spike-apron rollers; pushboard operatinggear having a wrist-pin; a pivoted arm connected with the said wristpinand carrying a gear-wheel to mesh with the gear-wheel of thespike-apron; and an alarm device actuated by said gear-wheel on thepivoted arm.

4:. In a feeder for carding engines, the combination of a spike-apron; agear-wheel fast with one of the spike-apron rollers; pushboard operatinggear having a wrist-pin; a pivoted arm carrying a gear-wheel to meshwith the gear-wheel of the spike-apron and an alarm-device actuated bysaid gear-wheel on the pivoted arm; and a yielding connection betweenthe pivoted arm and wrist-pin.

5. In a feeder for carding engi nes the combination of a spike-apron; agear-wheel fast with one of the spike-apron rollers; pushboard operatinggear having a wrist-pin; a pivoted arm carrying a gear-wheel to meshwith the gear-wheel of the spike-apron and an alarm-device actuated bysaid gear-wheel on the pivoted arm; a strap pivoted in the wrist-pin;and aspring adjustably connected at one end with said strap and at theother end with the pivoted arm.

6. In a feeder for carding engines,the combination of a spike-apron; agear-wheel fast with one of the spike-apron rollers; pushboard operatinggear having a wrist-pin; a pivoted arm connected with the said wristpinand carrying a gear-wheel to mesh with the gear-wheel of thespike-apron; and an arm arranged to rotate with the first namedgear-wheel; a bell on the pivoted arm; and a lever having a hammer atone end to strike the bell and its opposite end projecting into the pathof the arm which rotates with the gear-wheel on the pivoted arm.

7. In a feeder for carding engines, the combination of a spike-apron; agear-wheel fast with one of the spike-apron rollers; pushboard operatinggear having a wrist-pin; a pivoted arm connected with the said wristpinand carrying a gear-wheel to mesh with the gear-wheel of the spike-apronand a multiple-arrned wheel to rotate with the gearwheel of the pivotedarm; a bell on the pivoted arm; and a lever having a hammer at one endto strike the bell and its opposite end projecting into the path of themultiplearmed wheel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 6th day of January, A. D.1893.

JAMES KEARNEY.

I'Vitnesses:

J AMES KERRIGAN, JOHN KELLY.

IIO

